The governor identifies the programs as a key part of a larger, $1.2 billion statewide effort aimed at “reinvesting and reshaping California’s workforce preparation systems.” The effort aims to get students into training programs that are more closely linked to regional workforce needs and to better coordinate job training programs at colleges and schools.

The initiative is also sparked by a need to better prepare students for college and careers, a key goal of education reform efforts and of the Common Core State Standards in math and English, which have been adopted by California and 42 other states.

“Increasing the resources available and better targeting where they are used will improve the skills of California’s workforce and better meet the demands of the growing economy,” the governor’s budget summary said. The funding, the summary said, is a “first step toward a broader strategy of aligning 49 workforce investment boards, 72 community college districts, more than 1,000 other local education agencies, and the employment programs of 58 county human services agencies.”

Linking career technical education in the schools with a larger workforce effort is an important shift, said Michael Kirst, president of the State Board of Education.

Career technical education “is a long way from being just high schools and community colleges and micro arrangements,” Kirst said. “It’s being refocused as part of this regional approach to create skills and jobs rather than being merely something for local high schools to do for their local high school population. The level of policies is moving upward in terms of a workforce focus, rather than going to schools to solve those problems.”

Brown’s package for career education includes $250 million over each of the next three years to create a Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program to spur partnerships between school districts, colleges and business. The program is intended to “accelerate the development of new and expanded high-quality CTE programs,” according to the budget proposal.

“It looks like the governor is really concerned about returning California to the economic power that it once was, and that starts in the secondary schools,” said Randy Page, president of the California Association of Regional Occupational Centers and Programs.

Groups receiving the money would have to provide a dollar-for-dollar match to qualify, Brown said, and must prove their effectiveness across a range of outcomes such as graduation rates, course–completion rates and the number of students receiving industry credentials and certificates.

The state budgeted a total of $500 million over the past two years for a similar grant program, called the California Career Pathways Trust, which also promotes regional partnerships between K-12 districts, community colleges and businesses. However, districts are not required to provide a dollar match to qualify for that funding.

Brown also proposed an additional $29 million for apprenticeship programs that provide adults with a steady paycheck as they receive on-the-job training, and $48 million to extend the CTE Pathways Initiative grant program for an additional year. The program, which was scheduled to sunset in 2014-15, supports efforts to better link career programs at schools with those at community colleges.

The proposed budget “is a significant signal that [Gov. Brown] cares about economic mobility by focusing on workforce development,” said Van Ton-Quinlivan, vice chancellor of workforce and economic development at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

The governor’s proposals are in keeping with federal requirements outlined in the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act jobs training program, Ton-Quinlivan said. Agencies receiving federal money are now required to have common measurements and “integrated planning instead of staying in their silos,” she said.

“The time has come to focus all these disparate efforts to get these monies to work together” in California, she said.

Tim Rainey, executive director of the California Workforce Investment Board, said the funding proposal kicks “up a notch – or maybe a few notches” – existing efforts to align jobs development in the business sector with career training programs in the schools.

“It looks like the governor is really concerned about returning California to the economic power that it once was, and that starts in the secondary schools,” said Page, director of Tri-County ROP, which serves Colusa, Sutter and Yuba counties. “We can’t satisfy the needs of the employers and business community and keep them in the state if we’re not able to provide robust programs.”

Still, Page said he is eager to see details of the proposed grant program and its required “dollar-for-dollar” match. Additional information on the proposal is expected when a trailer bill to the budget proposal is released, possibly as early as Friday. Page also is concerned about the expiration date for the funding in three years.

“It all looks really good on paper,” Page said, “but actually implementing the program and sitting back and seeing how districts and community colleges and county offices work together to make this money effective will be the test of how effective this is in the long term.”

Fred Jones, an advocate for career and technical programs who represents the California Business Education Association, said the proposal brings promising news for career technical education. The dollar-for-dollar match requirement of the grant program provides an incentive to build quality career programs in the schools. The accountability requirements – asking recipients of the money to prove their effectiveness by meeting a range of measures – will help ensure that programs meet quality benchmarks, he said.

In 2007-08 – before the recession and before state categorical funding was relaxed – Regional Centers and Occupational Programs received a dedicated $486 million budget allocation, Jones said. The categorical “flex” allowed districts to use money previously earmarked for specific programs – such as regional occupation – for any purpose.

Going Deeper

Enrollment in career education programs dropped 12 percent from 2011-12 to 2012-13, according to state figures, and the number of courses offered statewide decreased by 11 percent.

“We need to discuss exactly what the funding amount should be,” Jones said, “but what’s mattered most to me and those of us who have been advocating for career tech for the last several years is high-quality programs.”

The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office commends the governor’s budget proposal on workforce education as “laudable,” but faulted the proposal for a potential “piecemeal approach.”

Comments Policy

Kevin Stewart1 year ago1 year ago

I agree that there is a need for an educational program that prepares high school students, as well as adults needing a fast pace program to get then back in the work force. At New Beginning Career Institute, we have created a short program to educate and give individuals the necessary skills to work in a professioanl environment and earn $23,000 +/ yr to 48,000 +/ yr, in an entry level health care position as a Pharmacy Techniican.

Michelle G Rangel2 years ago2 years ago

I’m having difficulty in getting my FASA from a closed school that is preventing me from progressing my future, in reaching my dreams. I would like to attend LATTC.

Leonard Butters4 years ago4 years ago

What if any resources are there for this or other bills for people over 40 that want to start a new career because there aged out of the career that they have had for many years. In most cases its very expensive to the older people who have families to support, and knowing that a large tuition payments could make education difficult to be an option. Is there grants designed for this age … Read More

What if any resources are there for this or other bills for people over 40 that want to start a new career because there aged out of the career that they have had for many years. In most cases its very expensive to the older people who have families to support, and knowing that a large tuition payments could make education difficult to be an option. Is there grants designed for this age group?. Is there support for this age group that needs to change there career which may require either a degree.

esther cheng4 years ago4 years ago

im 29 year old , i use to attempt to commit suicide between the age of 13-22 , ive been shot by the father of my stillborn child at the age of 18 so close to my spinal cord...stuck with the bullet right next to my artery i wasnt able to use my arm because by body have to push the bullet out itself....ive been to mental institutions like Herrick in berkeley ca ..that … Read More

im 29 year old , i use to attempt to commit suicide between the age of 13-22 , ive been shot by the father of my stillborn child at the age of 18 so close to my spinal cord…stuck with the bullet right next to my artery i wasnt able to use my arm because by body have to push the bullet out itself….ive been to mental institutions like Herrick in berkeley ca ..that was a long time ago…. i hated my therapists because all they do was ask why ? my point is i had nothing but time on my hands….and if our children is our future then why is parents having kids without being married …. which makes it a family ….ive lived in the oakland projects and theres no help or place where kids feel safe to help with homework without worrying about drive bys …my nephew passed up a scholarship from uc berkeley because of his tardiness and lack of sleep from work and school…he got discouraged thought its too good to be true … thinking people in oakland never goes anywhere…..im sorry if im venting i want to help but dont know where to start so if anyone needs a volunteer or site to go to please comment

SD Parent5 years ago5 years ago

Throwing more money at CCTE doesn't guarantee programs that actually make a difference. I'd like the state to require school districts to audit their existing and any new CCTE courses for genuine career (with a living wage!) or college readiness. In SDUSD, what passes for CCTE ranges from courses that prepare students for real careers--like Principles in Biomedical Sciences or Computer Science & Software Design or Principles in Engineering--to "fluff" classes--like Food Preparation … Read More

Throwing more money at CCTE doesn’t guarantee programs that actually make a difference. I’d like the state to require school districts to audit their existing and any new CCTE courses for genuine career (with a living wage!) or college readiness. In SDUSD, what passes for CCTE ranges from courses that prepare students for real careers–like Principles in Biomedical Sciences or Computer Science & Software Design or Principles in Engineering–to “fluff” classes–like Food Preparation & Nutrition or Screen Printing or Photography (with film and darkroom time!)–which could be fun alternatives to core academic classes but have little to no genuine career opportunities (beyond minimum wage).

And in as much as we don’t want to “track” students into a career vs. college pathway, taking Screen Printing in lieu of, say, AP Art History, would actually reduce a student’s college admission opportunities because it would not provide the ability to get a higher (weighted) GPA and would also be viewed as lower academic rigor.

And I agree and disagree with Don; it doesn’t have to be a choice, but the pot of money is limited. Why doesn’t CCTE embrace the arts as possible career paths? How many painters, professional musicians (think Itzak Perlman, not Justin Bieber), actors, singers, etc. participated in their high school VAPA programs? I personally know two who went on to careers performing in symphonies (one as a touring soloist).

Raquel E James5 years ago5 years ago

We need to get on a band wagon (pardon the pun) and get money for the Arts throughout our k-12 system and beyond.
Providing our youth with outlets in the form of sports, theater, music, dance, sculpture, painting, design ...etc. is something our culture truly needs and could be a means of preventing so much of the crime we are seeing occur. By giving our children a positive focus, we give them a chance to … Read More

We need to get on a band wagon (pardon the pun) and get money for the Arts throughout our k-12 system and beyond.
Providing our youth with outlets in the form of sports, theater, music, dance, sculpture, painting, design …etc. is something our culture truly needs and could be a means of preventing so much of the crime we are seeing occur. By giving our children a positive focus, we give them a chance to believe in themselves and express themselves.

Don5 years ago5 years ago

Raquel, but there is no bandwagon. If more money is spent on CTE, then that's money not available for all the things you wish. What do you suppose is a better way to enrich public education, supporting " sports, theater, music, dance, sculpture, painting," as part of the fabric of public education or a career technical program for only a certain portion of the population? Shouldn't we focus our efforts on making public … Read More

Raquel, but there is no bandwagon. If more money is spent on CTE, then that’s money not available for all the things you wish. What do you suppose is a better way to enrich public education, supporting ” sports, theater, music, dance, sculpture, painting,” as part of the fabric of public education or a career technical program for only a certain portion of the population? Shouldn’t we focus our efforts on making public education more about developing hearts and minds of students or should we focus on CTE? You have to choose.

el5 years ago5 years ago

I’d like to see CTE type courses for every student, not as has been assumed for years, just for the less academically inclined. The possible options are quite extensive.

SactoJim5 years ago5 years ago

LONG, LONG, overdue.

Fred Jones5 years ago5 years ago

We are thrilled the Governor has acknowledged the importance of the state providing a monetary incentive for districts to establish, maintain and/or grow CTE. Every student eventually needs a career, whether their educational pathway runs through a 4-year college or not, and that workforce pipeline should begin in middle schools.
Those of us who have been concerned with the death-spiral of CTE enrollment in middle and high school programs are hopeful this incentive grant will … Read More

We are thrilled the Governor has acknowledged the importance of the state providing a monetary incentive for districts to establish, maintain and/or grow CTE. Every student eventually needs a career, whether their educational pathway runs through a 4-year college or not, and that workforce pipeline should begin in middle schools.

Those of us who have been concerned with the death-spiral of CTE enrollment in middle and high school programs are hopeful this incentive grant will pull these life-inspiring programs back up, and with it our state’s economy.